Karina was founded in 2009 to provide Expressive Arts Therapy. Leveraging the skills of board-certified therapists, we provide music, art, dance/movement, equine and horticultural therapies to youth and young adults with disabilities, while providing respite for their parents. For information on our Expressive Arts Therapy schedule, please contact us at office@karinaassociation.org

A Meaningful Day

Inspired by the success of our Expressive Arts Therapy program, we launched our Meaningful Day program in 2019. This is a Monday-Friday program that aims to provide an elevated experience for young adults of all abilities after they exit the educational system. Karina Association offers the Meaningful Day program via our approval as a Service Provider for DDA and DORS.

We provide Community Development Services to our participants, where they are immersed in their community via volunteering and hands-on learning opportunities. CDS fosters personal growth and development of new skills through engagement in community-based activities with people without disabilities. CDS provides the social supports necessary to foster lasting relationships and a path to discover each individual's niche for employment opportunities within the community. With encouragement and support, young adults identify their skills, interests, and needs, and work toward improving their ability to self-advocate. This journey of self-education is an ongoing process, as individual needs change over time.

Examples of Meaningful Day programming include volunteering with local businesses and other non-profits, sensory immersion at a local arts & crafts stores and designers' studios, pre-employment training skills preparing meals in a community kitchen and internships at local business offices. Our program is designed to provide a more fulfilling experience and greater community integration versus other options available to our participants. Given our legacy program, cultivating participants’ artistic talents is a key objective of our programming.

We are also approved to provide Employment Services, including a variety of supports to help Karina’s participants identify career and employment interests, as well as to find a niche for self-employment.

Discovery

Job Development

Follow-Along Supports

Ongoing Job Supports

Coworker Employment Supports

Customized Self-Employment

Getting started:
In order to provide services, Karina must charge a fee-for-service through DDA or DORS. Let your Service Coordinator know if you or a family member are interested in our programs. You can also arrange to pay privately for services.

"My experience with KARINA has been above and beyond anything I could have imagined. I'll be the first to admit I was nervous, but it was a truly great experience. I just can't put into words how mesmerizing it was to watch these kids come out of their shells and express their unique personalities through music and art. Their faces just lit up when they saw what they could accomplish. I think that this first session will stick with them for a long time, I know it'll stick with me. It never ceases to amaze me that there are such kind-hearted people in the world. Thank you to all participating families and KARINA." Grace Gillespie, volunteer

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﻿"Thank you so much for the wonderful care you gave to Douglas yesterday. I know he is an especially hard case. Everyone was so caring and anxious to help. There are so few programs for these young adults to attend. It would be so much easier to just let them stay at home, but with the help of caring people like you, they get a chance to get out in the world and become a part of it. Thanks again for your kindness."

﻿Fondly, Pam Wenzl, parent

"I feel very blessed and fortunate to be a part of K.A.R.I.N.A! Providing hope for the future of our children is truly a great inspiration for families of all generations! My son (a volunteer for K.A.R.I.N.A) and Karina’s Team worked seamlessly side by side to help children shine and grow through the music! I was very happy as a parent and volunteer myself to see my son spread his wings and fly! Robert felt like his dream to make a difference in the lives of others was coming alive right before our eyes! Music is a great gift that inspires the human heart and through the love of music there is a sense of compassion to make a difference in the lives of others! My feeling is “Together We Make A Difference” and I became inspired by watching my son, Robert, and the Team of Karina’s volunteers spread joy to others through the gift of music! Who could ask for anything more?Thank you K.A.R.I.N.A for making a difference!!!” Love and Many Warm Blessings, Robin Riha-Lopez, parent & volunteer​

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"I felt inspired by Grace because she likes to work and help out others almost in the same way that I do. She also wants to become a social worker and that takes a lot of time and determination. The fact that she wants to help people out in that way is incredible and amazing. I think she is a great and kind person and deserves to be given the chance to follow all of her dreams and make them come

true. This is why I look forward to seeing her at K.A.R.I.N.A." Robert V. Lopez, Jr., participant​